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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Snow Shoe Run Fun !

On Saturday Big Lake received approximately 5" of snow. It was the first snowfall of the year. On Sunday we (Topaz and I ) broke trail for a few hours, enjoying the first snow shoe run of the year. Last night we (Topaz and I) hit the trail again for an hour and a half.

Today it began snowing around noon and it is still snowing! All day long I was excited to get out in the snow. Yes, I'm the one who likes running in the heat of the day, who doesn't like winter. Well, this winter I'm turning a new leaf. I am telling myself I LOVE winter. I LOVE snowboarding, I LOVE snowshoe running, I LOVE snow. SO, yeah, I was excited all day long for the snowshoe run on the trail.

As I walked into the house after work, I thought about preparing dinner, youth group tonight, the two pans of Special K Bars I need to bake, Tyler's birthday cake I need to begin, etc. and thought maybe I'd scratch my second workout of the day. When I told the boys what I was thinking they looked at Topaz and said 'ah, Mom, Topaz would be so sad not to run in the snow tonight'. I looked at his sad little face, watched the boys bundle into their winter clothes to slide down our hill, saw the turkey stew I had prepared this morning and placed into the crock pot, and decided to hit the road to the trail. Driving was horrible, it took me 25 minutes to get to the trail. But ah, was it worth it!

The snow was wonderful! All of my trail blazing was covered with fresh snow. It was peaceful, still and white. Oh, a lot of hard work too! Foraging through drifts and new fluffy snow can be exhausting! I was soaking wet from sweat and decided tomorrow I will be wearing one shirt, not two. I think I'll even strap on my heart rate monitor to see what I'm hitting. It's up there.

For some reason the deer don't hear us as well with the snow cover. Maybe crunching on the dirt trail is much louder than snowshoeing, maybe the snow blankets some of the sound Topaz and I make..I'm not sure the reason, but the deer are right near the trail and we are almost on top of them before they scamper off. It's amazing. Today I saw two owls and a bald eagle that scared me to death. It was eating a carcass of something gross near the river. I don't like birds.

While we were running toward the car I realized my face was sore. I then realized that it was because I was smiling and laughing so much. I was totally enjoying myself! My face was aching with joy.

Topaz and I ran for 90 minutes, by the time we arrived back to the car it was dark.

6 comments:

Your run sounds so fun! I am jealous! It was 70 degrees here today - what the heck? If I was running, I could be doing it in shorts. I want some snow running (and hill sliding, and deer sightings)! Keep posting the snow pictures for us southerners!

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12 years ago in the haze of a hangover I read Oprah's Make The Connection. It changed my life. I lost the fat, I put down the booze, began eating in a healthy manner, began to walk, then run. Run On! I first began running marathons. Liked it so much I found some crazy ultra runners in MN who showed me the trail and ultramarathons. 39 marathons and 40+ ultra marathons later ( 15 100 mile ultramarathons in the past 5 years) I am sober, lean and happy. I am now inspiring others to run, as Oprah inspired me. Coaching beginning runners is a gift I like to give every day. It's not just about running..it's about all that comes with it: goal setting, empowerment, a belief in oneself, being true to oneself. 2007 brought 4 100 mile finishes, 2008 brought 4 100 mile finishes, a BQ and PR at TCM, a PR at the 100 mile trail distace at Javelina Jundred: 23:13. 2009 brought another PR at the 100 mile distance! Amazing. Lean Horse 100, a dream come true. What holds for 2010? WHO KNOWS?? NOT I! Wow. It's 2013 NOW!